Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1887-02-16
SHOULD CHANGE THE TITLE.

The title OF a bill is presumed to EN-
body in brief the gist OF its provisions.
When the emasculated abortion which
was reported by the Conference Commit
tee yesterday comes up upon its flnal
passage in the Senate, Mr.. Edmunds, to
maintain his consistency, should move
that the title be amended so as to read,
can Act to encourage perjury in Utah,
and to protect the Mormons from the
penalties attending the crime of Iadul-
tery." These will certainly be the effects
of the measure, and the title should be
made to correspond herewith 1t did not
require the authority OF the Mormon
organ in this city to convince the Gen
tiles OF Utah that the Mormons, ii it came
to the pinch, would take the prescribed
test oath or any other which could be de-
vised An institution which counsels
murder and every other crime for the
attainment of a minor purpose cannot be
expected to scruple at perjury, when
driven to the wall, and standing at bay
in defense of its political power, upon
which depends its very existence and
without which it would melt away like Il
snow bank under the rays OF a tropical
sun. The Mormons will take the oath, at
least in sufficient numbers to insure a
majority at the polls. They will be
counseled to do so, and no intelligent
resident of Utah will doubt for a moment
the obedience of the masses in a matter
OF such vital importance as the continu-
ance of the political power OF the Nor
mon priesthood. The new law will not
change the political status of single
county, town or district in the Territory
except, perhaps, in Summit County,
where the anti-Mormon vote when united
is already in the ascendancy, and possi-
bly, few mining towns which have
heretofore been close, as between the
two elements. Take Cache County, for
instance, where there are something
less than forty Liberal voters to many
hundred times that number OF supporters
OF the so-called Peoples party. Does
any one for moment believe that the
new law will enable the little squad OF
loyal voters to achieve a victory there
In many other counties the disproportion
is still greater, and there is not single
one, with the exception OF Summit,
where the Mormon majority is not sutii-
cient to defeat the patriotic efforts OF the
united opposition. THE DEMOCRAT does
not believe in deluding the loyal people
with false hopes. 1t has the courage to
face the facts at the outset as they will
have to be faced at the first election
under the new law in the Terri
tory The Gentiles should not how
ever, abate one particle of their zeal
because Of the almost absolute certainty
OF defeat. They should muster their en-
tire forces and make as strong a fight as
Let them not waver in the per-
formance OF their duty because
of the dereliction OF the Ma
tional Congress. Let them make the
best possible use OF the insufficient
means afforded them, and when the
fact is demonstrated that the accursed
spirit OF disloyalty cannot be downed by
restrictions upon Mormon consciences,
perhaps at some future session Il
law will be enacted which will
effect the desired result. In the mean
time, the title of the bill reported yester-
day should be changed as we have sug-
gested, else the caption is as great fraud
nc tha ct